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Credit: The Trace

The Trace is that band you bring home to mom. They're badass on the outside, but probably great boyfriends supersweet on the inside. And please forgive me for not opening with a line about how talented The Trace are as musicians, but I got momentarily distracted by THEIR HANDSOME FACES.

Moving on to the tunes: Made up of four dudes from Bethlehem, PA, I'd like to call The Trace a pop-rock band because their songs are hooky enough to be pop tunes and hard-core enough to be rock songs. But there's something else floating around in the mix -- maybe it's the boys' heartfelt lyrics, or maybe it's their supertight harmonies, but The Trace possesses a unique quality that sets them apart from other pop rockers.

It's totally possible that this "quality" is actually the fact that these dudes have shared the stage with like, 10 trillion famous rockers. The Trace have performed alongside Hot Chelle Rae, Boys Like Girls, Yellowcard, The Ready Set, New Found Glory, All Time Low, Iyaz Jason Derulo and Honor Society, to name a few.

But it's not all rock for the boys. Ballads like "All In All" show the boys' softer, dare I say in-touch-with-their-feminine side: "I won't go/Until we're safe and sound/With your taste inside my mouth/Just saying, until this moment leaves/There's no place I'd rather be/Will you stay with me?" Again, this was the kind of band you could bring home to Mom! And Dad probably won't punch them out, either.

The Trace's new album The Trace EP is out now.

+ Listen to The Trace.

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Tags All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Honor Society, Hot Chelle Rae, Iyaz, Jason DeRulo, New Found Glory, The Buzz On, The Ready Set, The Trace, Yellowcard

Credit: Getty

If you're a die-hard Big Time Rush fan, then 10 months is like, nine months and 29 days too long to wait for some new BTR material. Luckily, the Big Time Rush drought has finally ended thanks to the Nick foursome's latest release, "If I Ruled The World," which features their good bud, rapper/reggae singer Iyaz.

In true Big Time Rush fashion, "If I Ruled The World" is impossibly catchy, perfectly pop and sends an uplifting message to fans. Led by a guitar-driven track, Big Time Rush's vocals are perfectly in check as they chant "So everybody get up, up outta your seats/Kick off your shoes like you're down at the beach/Jump up, up, up on the beat and singing ay-o, ay-o."

While the boys of Big Time Rush have been seriously grinding out on the road playing festival dates, they've tempted fans with live previews of this new song. Unsurprisingly, reactions to "If I Ruled The World" have been, how shall I say, COMPLETELY WILD. And to calm their zealous supporters, the Big Time Rush men ran to the studio to make their new song available for all. Hooray!

Time for a collective "THANKS GUYS!" Not only have you given me a new jam to play at my next rooftop BBQ, but I think "If I Ruled The World" might just make it all the way to my new gym mix, and everyone knows that's a high honor.

"If I Ruled The World" will premiere on air on Nickelodeon's "Big Time Rush" Friday, July 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

+ Listen to Big Time Rush's "If I Ruled The World."

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Tags Big Time Rush, Iyaz

Sean Kingston, along with Iyaz and Vita Chambers, has been one of the chief proponents of the Island Pop genre that's been hitting the mainstream hard ever since Rihanna infused her pop-R&B with a little Barbados flavor.

On his new single, Sean Kingston, with the help of Nicki Minaj, indulges in a little more of the island than the pop, with this dance hall-ready banger, "Letting Go." As Idolator notes, the track was produced by Stargate, who is also responsible for the rocksteady flavor of Rihanna's "Te Amo."

The "Letting Go" video was shot by Lil X on location in Jamaica and takes place largely at one heck of a party. Kingston sings and pushes up on Nicki Minaj, while the Harajuku Barbie does a great job translating her flow into a Jamaican patois.

"Letting Go" will likely be featured on Kingston's untitled new album, due out later this year.

+ Watch Sean Kingston and Nicki Minaj's "Letting Go (Dutty Love)" video here.

Tags Iyaz, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Sean Kingston, video, Vita Chambers

Last month we introduced you to the YouTube sensation/Oprah-fave/mini-Celine-Dion that is Charice and her breakthrough video for "Pyramid." We were so compelled by Charice's undeniable charm, only-on-the-Internet-could-this-happen story and her powerful voice that we had to track her down and ask her a few questions.

In this Buzzworthy interview, Charice talks about the influence that her mom's musical career had on her and how her mom "discovered" her talent when she caught a then 4-year-old Charice singing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

Charice also dispenses some advice on competing in singing competitions, compares life as a teenager in the United States and in her native Philippine, and dishes some details on her "Oprah" appearances.

Check out our Charice interview as well as her video for "Pyramid," featuring Iyaz, both below.

Tags Celine Dion, Charice, Iyaz, video

When you build your song around a sample of Janet Jackson's delicate and lovely "Again," you have a lot to live up to. Here, British Virgin Islands pop sensation Iyaz takes the piano line and vocal melody and adds his own twist to the proceedings -- namely, air horns and quasi-ragga toasting.

In a recent interview (watch it again below if you missed it), Iyaz talked about "Solo" in relation to his breakout hit "Replay." According to Iyaz, "Solo" is about the negative impact his post-"Replay" success had on his love life. The Kai Crawford-directed "Solo" video tracks a budding relationship, as Iyaz sings over Jackson's familiar melody with some skittering 808s to accompany him.

Check out the video below.

Related Content Iyaz Talks 'Solo'

Tags Iyaz, Janet Jackson, video

As a native of the British Virgin Islands, Iyaz (you know his smash hit "Replay," as there's no way it's not replaying itself in your head) knows a thing or two about having fun in the sun. So we asked him if he had any spring break advice to pass on to America's youth.

First, Iyaz gets some board of tourism pimping out of the way, suggesting vacationers hit the Virgin Islands for a good time. For Iyaz, the perfect spring break day involves very little daytime. He suggests you sleep late, eat well, tool around on a motorcycle and party hardy deep into the night. Not bad advice! Just don't get the order of those things wrong. We wouldn't want you to blame him for partying or sleeping on your motorcycle.

In the second clip, Iyaz talks about "Solo," his new single.

Check out both videos below.

Related Content New Video: Iyaz, 'Replay'

Tags Iyaz, video

Vita Chambers is another great artist with Caribbean island roots poised to make a big splash this year. Following in the footsteps of fellow Barbados singer, Rihanna, and joining the like of Iyaz and Sean Kingston in the Island Pop movement, Chambers makes Now Music; genre-busting, border-free jams for people who like to keep it on shuffle.

Vita Chambers was born in Canada but spent her formative years in Barbados, raised on her parents' eclectic record collection of classic soul and rock. But it's been the last few years, as the charts have seen hits that freely mix pop, R&B, dance, rock and hip-hop into dance, that she really found her own voice in this dizzying new music world.

Inspired by the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Pink, Vita Chambers' music is a pulsating, personal pop, reflecting both her teenage exuberance and her seasoned, diverse tastes. Take her single, "Young Money" a fan's love letter to the music of Lil' Wayne, that's as energetic and boisterous as Miley Cyrus' "Party In The U.S.A." It's the perfect introduction to this incredibly talented teen.

That song, and four others, make up her recently released The Get Go EP. You can catch Vita bringing the dance party sound all summer long on the Bamboozle Festival. Be sure to check out her MySpace to see videos of her playing solo covers of songs by Gaga, Pink and Adam Lambert.

Tags Adam Lambert, Iyaz, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Pink, Rihanna, Sean Kingston, video, Vita Chambers

+ Yesterday, we showed you photos of Justin Bieber's performance at the Long Island tween-rock summit, Pop-Con. Today, we've got some video of J.B. paying tribute to the soul men who came before him. Check out Bieber covering Usher's "U Got It Bad" and Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River." (Oh No They Didn't!)

+ Speaking of paying tribute, it's called "mutual admiration" for a reason. In this case, it's a veteran paying homage to a newcomer. Annie Lennox recently took to her blog to write a post called "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga." Guess who she was writing about? Yep, seems the Eurythmics singer is infatuated with all-things Gaga, from the tunes to the costumes to the set design of her live show. (Spinner)

+ After playing Friday Night With Jonathan Ross in England last week, Jay-Z brought things back stateside to kick off his Blueprint 3 tour in Florida. Check out picks of Hova, Trey Songz and Beyonce in action. (Rap-Up)

+ Never let it be said that Ludacris is the type of guy to kick a man when he's down—unless that man is Tiger Woods. Luda's new song, "Sexting," apparently begins with a sure-to-be-popular-at-the-Woods-residence parody of Tiger's recent "problems." Oy va voy. (Idolator)

+ Love the "island-pop" of Iyaz's "Replay"? Then take a sec to learn all about the rising star in this revealing interview, which discusses how Iyaz blew off Sean Kingston, his time at the New England of Technology, and much more. (PopEater)

Tags Annie-Lennox, Beyonce, Iyaz, Jay-Z, justin bieber, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Ludacris, Sean Kingston, Tiger Woods, Trey Songz, Usher

Sean Kingston does right by his friends. When he's not making Caribbean-dance-pop jams like "Fire Burning," he's helping pals like Iyaz become chart-busting sensations. And even then he still has time to help out his pals.

One of Kingston's closest amigos is his dog, Stella. And, in what has to be one of the more truly heartwarming things I have seen in a while, he is lending his name and fame to a truly awesome cause.

Kingston is participating in a campaign for Peta 2 (the young adult arm of PETA) in an aim to educate folks about not chaining their dogs. According to Peta 2's site, dogs should be treated as family members, not burglar alarms. That sounds like sound logic, to me!

The ad aired during MTV's Styl'd and features Sean Kingston and Stella. Other participants in the Peat 2 campaign include Eva Mendes, Justin Bieber, Never Shout Never's Christofer Drew, and Linkin Park's Chester Bennington.

Check out an interview with Kingston below (as well as his video for "Fire Burning") below.

Find out more about Sean Kingston at peta2.com.

Tags Iyaz, justin bieber, linkin park, Sean Kingston, video

(Credit: Brian Appio, MTV)

First Iyaz (nee Keidran Jones, of the British Virgin Islands) teased you with the prequel video for his chart-buster, "Replay," which just peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top 40 chart. (Like the lyrics suggest, the song will inevitably get stuck in your brain on, well... replay.)

Now, the official "Replay" video (and follow-up video to the "Replay" prequel video) is finally here. Like labelmate Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls," "Replay" is a sunny slice of beach action, just in time for the least beach-actiony time of year. How does it differ from the other "Replay" video? The sun sets in this one, and there are more sweaters.

Watch Iyaz's new video, "Replay," now. And check out brand-new photos of Iyaz and watch an exclusive MTV interview with Iyaz to find out what he's really good at, which reptile he's most afraid of, and why he's a total mama's boy.

Tags Iyaz, video